Printers have long been a central piece of technology in many offices. However, with more and more offices striving to go paperless and digitize their document management procedures, many new business owners think of a printer as more of an optional piece of equipment. This simply isn’t true. A modern office still needs a printer/copier in order to fully serve its clients and achieve its full potential. What role does an office printer and copier play in a mostly paperless company? Keep reading to find out why you still need to buy a copier in Fairbanks, AK.
Paper-Dependent Customers
Every business will have at least a few customers or clients who aren’t comfortable with digital versions of documents. This means you’ll need to be able to supply paper copies of contracts, invoices, and any other relevant paperwork that you would normally provide in digital format. Additionally, you’ll need to be able to effectively manage any paper you receive from those clients (as well as suppliers) who don’t like digital documents. While it’s great to digitize your documents in your office—and doing so has many benefits—it’s pretty difficult to do that without a scanner. You’ll need to have one on hand to make sure that you can quickly and easily scan papers into your system and keep those digital folders organized.
Sharing Information in Meetings
When you need to gather employees together for a meeting or project collaboration, it’s important for everyone to have access to the same information and to have their own copy of it to work with. While it is possible to have employees bring a laptop, tablet, or smartphone into the meeting and have them access a digital document from there, this opens up the opportunity for many distractions.
Even if employees remain focused on work, there are still countless ways in which that working device can distract them—work-related chats, emails, calendar reminders, and more can pop up constantly throughout a meeting. Paper copies allow all meeting attendees to remain focused on the information in front of them and engage with it by taking notes and jotting down ideas as they follow along in the paper packet.
Potential Marketing Efforts
Modern marketing focuses on digital efforts, including social media, search engine optimization, pay-per-click campaigns, and more. However, the effectiveness of these campaigns does not completely eliminate the effectiveness of traditional print marketing efforts—as long as you’re using those efforts appropriately. Print marketing is still extremely beneficial for targeting local customers; for example, you can put up flyers in your area to draw attention to your new business. Brochures are excellent for passing out at conventions and networking meetings. You can even mail print advertisements to potential customers in your area.
While some forms of print advertising should be done by a professional (such as large-scale printing for posters), your average flyer and brochure could easily be printed on an office machine—assuming that you invest in the right quality and type. This will ultimately cost less per page than having to go to a print shop every time you want to run a print campaign. Plus, you have more leeway to experiment with the design of the flyer or brochure, as it’s much easier to print off a single copy, tweak the design, and reprint another test copy in your own office.
Reviewing Important Documents
Obviously, you can review documents in a digital format as well. However, studies have shown that most people tend to absorb more information from a document when it’s in print rather than reading it on a screen, especially when it’s a long-form document. If you have paperwork that you need to review and can’t afford to miss any details on it, you should consider printing out a copy of the document and reviewing it in a paper format.
Researchers believe that the reason for better reading comprehension and retention in print is related to the physical properties of paper; it engages more of the senses to have a physical document in front of you and provides you with a sort of visual geography on distinct pages, rather than one endless screen of scrolling. This provides your brain with a sort of anchor that helps make it easier to notice and retain information while reading.
This can be incredibly important when reviewing business contracts with clients, suppliers, investors, and more. Printing out a contract to review it could save you from signing something that’s not beneficial to your business.
Choosing the Right Machine
Now that you know how to use a printer/copier in your office let’s talk a little about choosing the right machine. One of the most essential things you’ll have to decide is whether you need an inkjet or laser printer. Most businesses opt for a laser printer because they primarily print black-and-white text documents. Laser printers excel at creating very crisp, clear letters—and can print them much more rapidly than an inkjet.
However, if you intend to print many images (such as a lot of marketing brochures and flyers on a regular basis), an inkjet may be the better option for you. These are better for printing beautiful, detailed images that look like a professional print job. Of course, you’ll need to ensure that you’re using high-quality paper, and preferably a slightly heavier paper, to avoid soaking the paper with too much ink when printing very color-rich documents.
If you’re starting a brand new business and need to find the best office printer/copier in Fairbanks, AK, for your company, contact Arctic Office Products. We’ll help you decide whether you need an inkjet or laser printer and ensure that you find the right model with all the features your business needs. Contact us today or stop by our location.
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